3rd leg of our cross-country trip: New Mexico

The cows were munching on pale grasses as we glided past them on the road from Deming to Hillsboro, New Mexico. A few times we had to slow down because cows were actually ON the road. After Hillsboro highway 152 narrows through a gorge, at the bottom of which is Percha Creek. We found the lodge where we would be holed up for a few days, The Black Range Lodge, with a group of geologists from the University of Wisconsin Eau Clair. We would have dinner with them and then early the next morning they would disappear, off with their heavy packs full of compasses and rock hammers and orienteering equipment of all types.

I decided it would be good for my brain to try to see how many of them I can still remember. There was Brian, the leader, then another Brian, a swimmer who was avoiding alcohol to keep in training, Herald (interesting story as to how he got the spelling of his name), Anna (formerly an art student, I told her about Judy Chicago), Heidi (a very earnest geologist), Liz (who could talk a mile a minute and we could almost follow her...!), Nathan (who had the cutest Simpsons lounging pants), Shane (whose birthday was celebrated the first night), then there was Aaron and Michelle and Greg, the T.A. from Canada but I can't remember his wife's name...if I think of any others I guess I will get extra credit.

When Bill and I drove to the Emory Pass vista point the sign described the Tertiary Volcanic layers we were looking at, which was nice to share with the students. Our hosts at the lodge were straw bale building enthusiasts. They knew Drew Hubbell, son of Jim Hubbell and friend of Janet and Bruce Richards (see San Diego post), so it was a nice circular connection.

After the 2nd night there, we headed north to Santa Fe.